Patrick Mahomes vs. Joe Burrow head-to-head record: Bengals QB has slight edge in series of close games after Week 2 loss

Joe Burrow is one of the few NFL quarterbacks with a successful track record against the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes. 

That AFC rivalry was rekindled on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium in the fifth head-to-head matchup between the two quarterbacks. Each of the previous four meetings had been decided by exactly three points – and that includes a pair of dramatic AFC championship games. Burrow is the last quarterback to beat Mahomes in the postseason. 

However, Mahomes' Chiefs took down the Bengals 26-25 on Sunday afternoon. Cincinnati fell to an 0-2 start with the loss, as Kansas City created some distance with their new-aged AFC rival and Mahomes notched another head-to-head victory against Burrow. 

Here are the numbers, past matchups, and outlook after the next chapter in the Mahomes-Burrow quarterback rivalry.

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Patrick Mahomes vs. Joe Burrow: Head-to-head record 

After Sunday's loss, Burrow has a 3-2 record against Kansas City, including playoffs. That includes a 27-24 victory in the 2021 AFC championship game. The Bengals also won the regular-season matchup 34-31 that season. 

Cincinnati won the regular-season matchup in 2022, but the Chiefs returned the favor in the AFC championship game against the Bengals. 

Here is a look at the five head-to-head matchups between Cincinnati and Kansas City when Burrow and Mahomes also went head-to-head:

*Denotes AFC championship game

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Patrick Mahomes stats vs. Bengals 

Mahomes has faced the Bengals seven times in his career, including postseason. He has a 4-3 overall record against Cincinnati after Sunday's win. In his first six games vs. the Bengals, Mahomes had a 68.9% completion percentage with an average of 280.7 yards, 13 TDs and three interceptions. 

On Sunday, Mahomes finished with 151 passing yards on 18-of-25 passing with two touchdowns and two interceptions. 

Entering the Week 2 matchup, Mahomes had faced Burrow four times, and in those games, Mahomes was 97-of-134 (72.3%) with 270.7 yards per game, eight TDs, and two interceptions. 

Mahomes led Kansas City to a 26-25 victory against Cincinnati in their latest meeting.

Joe Burrow stats vs. Chiefs  

Burrow is now 3-2 against the Chiefs, and that includes a 1-1 record in the AFC playoffs against Mahomes. Entering Sunday's matchup, Burrow had a 69.8% completion percentage in his first four games vs. the Chiefs. In those first two regular-season meetings vs. Kansas City, he had 732 yards, six TDs, and no interceptions. In the two playoff matchups, he totaled 520 yards, three TDs, and three interceptions. 

On Sunday, Burrow had 258 yards on 23-of-36 passing and two touchdowns with no interceptions.

Before the Week 2 game, Burrow was averaging 313 yards per game with nine TDs and three INTs against Mahomes. He mixed in a pair of touchdowns this week, but brought down his average in yards.

Patrick Mahomes vs. Joe Burrow: Past matchups 

Here is a closer look at the head-to-head matchups between Mahomes and Burrow: 

Bengals 34, Chiefs 31 (Jan. 2, 2022) 

A Week 17 shootout broke out at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati. Burrow passed for 446 and four TDs and formed an unstoppable combination with Ja'Marr Chase, who had 11 catches for 266 yards and three TDs. The Chiefs still led 28-17 at halftime, and Mahomes had 259 yards and two TDs. Burrow, however, led a second-half rally with a 69-yard TD pass to Chase. Evan McPherson kicked the game-winning field goal as time expired. 

Bengals 27, Chiefs 24 (Jan. 30, 2022) 

The AFC championship game was riveting. Kansas City jumped out to a 21-3 lead and could have made the halftime lead 28-10. But Eli Apple made a touchdown-saving tackle on Tyreek Hill. That haunted the Chiefs. Cincinnati rallied in the second half with the help of a two-yard TD from Burrow to Chase. McPherson and Butker traded field goals in the fourth quarter to set up overtime. Vonn Bell intercepted Mahomes, and McPherson hit the game-winning field goal. Burrow had 250 yards, two TDs, and an interception. Mahomes had 275 yards, three TDs, and two interceptions. 

Bengals 27, Chiefs 24 (Dec. 4, 2022) 

The Bengals beat the Chiefs in Week 13 in another showdown that lived up to expectations. Cincinnati led 14-10 at halftime. The Chiefs scored a pair of third-quarter TDs, the second a three-yard by Mahomes. Kansas City led 24-20 in the fourth quarter, but a Travis Kelce fumble led to a turnover, and Burrow guided the game-winning TD drive capped by an eight-yard TD run by Chris Evans. 

Chiefs 23, Bengals 20 (Jan. 29, 2023) 

The Bengals had dubbed Arrowhead Stadium “Burrowhead” ahead of the 2022 AFC championship game, but the Chiefs led 13-3 after Mahomes hit Kelce for a TD pass with 3:50 left in the first half. Samaje Perine tied the game at 20 in the fourth quarter, and the teams traded possessions before the Chiefs had the last drive. A 15-yard late-hit penalty on Cincinnati linebacker Joseph Ossai – who hit Mahomes out of bounds – set up the game-winning field goal by Harrison Butker with three seconds remaining in the game. 

Chiefs 26, Bengals 25 (Sept. 15, 2024)

The Chiefs won their second-straight game vs. the Bengals in Week 2 after a game-winning 51-yard field goal from Harrison Butker as time expired. It marked the second-straight loss for Cincinnati to start the 2024 season after it lost 16-10 to the Patriots in Week 1. The Chiefs, meanwhile, improved to 2-0 after defeating the Ravens to start the season. RB Isaiah Pacheco had a strong day for Kansas City on the ground in the win, finishing with 90 rushing yards, while WR Rashee Rice posted 75 receiving yards and a touchdown. Burrow's top target in the loss was TE Mike Gesicki, who had seven catches for 91 yards. 

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